Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
hola is a versatile greeting used in both informal and neutral social situations. For more formal greetings, you might use Buenos días to say good day in the morning or until around midday or Buenas tardes to say good afternoon from midday until evening.
Is it said differently in some regions?
While hola is used widely, other informal greetings exist in specific areas, such as the colloquial ¡Ey! used in Spain and some Latin American countries or the informal ¿Qué hubo? used in some Latin American countries like Colombia, traditionally in coastal regions.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈola/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly pronounce the 'h' in hola as an aspirated sound like in the English word 'hot'.
When do people say it?
In addition to hola, casual greetings like ¿Qué tal? or ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?) are often used when checking on someone's well-being.
Did you know?
- The word hola may actually descend from a French command used to tell someone to 'stop!', rather than a friendly greeting.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a greeting like hola is often accompanied by a single or double kiss on the cheek depending on the region.
- Unlike English, where 'hello' can be used to answer a telephone, Spanish speakers often use ¿dígame? or aló instead of hola.
Examples in context
- ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?Hello! How are you?
- Hola a todos.Hello everyone.
- Solo quería decir hola.I just wanted to say hello.
Example conversation
Two friends meet on the street.
- MaríaHola, Alejandro.Hello, Alejandro.
- AlejandroHola, María. ¿Qué tal?Hello, María. How is it going?
- MaríaTodo bien, gracias.Everything is good, thanks.
- AlejandroMe alegro mucho.I am very glad.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry hola, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hola, CC BY-SA 4.0.
